Conduit
by Brandy Webb
My family and I had a wonderful edifying Feast of Tabernacles this year in Lake Texoma, TX. The theme of the Feast was 1st John 4:19—“We love Him because He first loved us.” I do believe love was there at the Feast. We had a mix of different types of believers, and we all, at least as far as I know, got along great. It was awesome to see different styles of worship and to fellowship with people who had different backgrounds.
Be a conduit of God’s Spirit.
Another theme that I got out of the Feast was to be a conduit of God’s Spirit. One point that one of the speakers made is that we cannot be only consumers. We have to be doers of God’s Word. How else is His Spirit to spread? How else is His love to abound to others? A good question that was asked was: Are we were waiting for conditions to change or others to change in order to show love?
These are some tough questions. These are some introspection questions we must ask ourselves. God needs a remnant that reflects Him. How else are others supposed to look at us and ask, “What is this hope you have within you?” (1 Peter 3:15). We are God’s conduit. His love is supposed to flow through us and out to others.
A few days prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, my family and I were watching a sermon online. I honestly can’t remember who gave it, but the minister pointed out Ezekiel 47, a chapter I have read but never really paid attention to what was being said. This chapter was mentioned twice at the Feast, which I found as something that God wants to get across to me. I understand that this chapter is most likely talking about the future Temple of God, but I am realizing that it can pertain to His people now in a way. Ezekiel describes water coming from the Temple. At the entrance he sees water flowing out of the threshold (verse 1). It starts as a trickle (verse 2). The farther he goes out from the temple the deeper the water becomes (verses 3-5). This freshwater, to me, represents God’s Spirit flowing outward. As it flows from the Temple it gets deeper and deeper, and where it reaches, plants and trees abound because they are being fed living water.
I feel that this can represent us today if we let it. We are God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Out of us should flow the rivers of life, God’s Spirit. As it flows from us it can give someone else that living water, and then they, in turn, can let it flow from them to someone else, and so on. In a way, it can spread outward exponentially. God is the one Source, and it flows to us then spreads, therefore the farther it goes out the “deeper” the river becomes. However, that means we have to be doers, not consumers/hearers because if we don’t then we deceive ourselves (James 1:22).
23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does (James 1:23-25).
Now, remember, your “doer” may look differently than someone else. We all have varying talents (1 Corinthians 12), which means we can reach others in our own unique way. No one way is better than another, in my opinion. The way for you may look differently than mine. Just like we all look differently, and we are all unique, our way of being a conduit for God will look differently. And this is awesome because just like we all have different learning styles; people have different understanding/eye-opening styles. God has you where He wants you to be; where you can be the best reflector of His light to others. Therefore, shine that light, do not hide it under a basket (Matthew 5:15), be His conduit, and let us all work together in our own unique way to spread His living water.